"Cape Doctor,"[1] also known as the "Southeaster,"[1] is the local name for the strong, often persistent and dry south-easterlywind on theSouth African coast.[1][2]
TheCape Doctor specifically refers to the wind that blows from spring to late summer (September to March in the southern hemisphere).[citation needed] It is known as the Cape Doctor because of a local belief that it clearsCape Town of pollution and 'pestilence'.[3]
The termSoutheaster is applied to the same wind, due to its consistent direction from the south-east. This is opposite to the north-westerly winds that blow in the same region in the winter months often ahead of acold-front.[1]
Both these terms are often used interchangeably by people in the region.
Although the wind blows over a wide area of theWestern Cape Province, it is notorious especially in and around theCape Peninsula, where it can be unpleasantly strong and irritating. Capetonians also call it "the South-Easter".
The South Easter is usually accompanied by fair weather. However, if the South-Easter is accompanied by acut-off low as occasionally happens in the spring and autumn months, this can cause heavy rains to fall over theWestern Cape.[4] This phenomenon is popularly known as a Black South-Easter. TheLaingsburg flood of January 1981 was caused by heavy rains as part of a Black South Easter.
It is ironic that the meteorological records for Cape Town show that the north-westerly winds of winter can be far stronger than the South-Easter, while these winds are not given such a positive name. This could be because the north-westerly winds are usually accompanied by rain, which can fall for days.
The wind is associated with the fairy tail ofJan Van Hunks and the Devil as it is the cause of the "table cloth," or cloud cover, onTable Mountain.[3]
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